We are completely a Windows household so I, of course, was beyond thrilled when I had the chance to receive a Windows 8 Acer Aspire S7 notebook to review! I have used and loved Microsoft software and products my entire life. We live on our Windows phones and our Windows 8 desktop and notebook computers! Last month, I shared a review on Windows 8 for my desktop and this week I’m excited to share how Windows 8 is even more fabulous using an ultrabook with touch screen capabilities.

What is an Ultrabook?

First, it’s important to understand what an “ultrabook” is. Since the term is somewhat new to the computer world, many may not know how it differs from a notebook computer. An ultrabook is a laptop computer that has to meet certain requirements to receive the ultrabook status. These including being: extremely slim (less than 1″ thick), lightweight, small and portable (most have 13.3″ screen or smaller), have at least a five hour battery life, and be fast and powerful. Most ultrabooks will also feature a touch screen. There are a few potential drawbacks to consider, though. Due to their extremely slim profile, some built-in features may be missing that you’ll need to consider external USB resources for when they are needed such as a CD/DVD player or a wealth of hard drive space.

Windows 8 Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook Review

Taking Windows 8 for a spin on a traditional desktop computer is a little bit tricky at first as you try to re-learn how to navigate and move around the operating system. However, where those hurdles comes initially with a desktop, they are completely eliminated with a touch screen ultrabook! Playing around on the Acer Aspire S7 for the first time makes you feel like you are using some of your other devices like your smartphone or tablet. You’re able to drag around the screen, your applications, and interact with everything right there on the screen with the touch of a finger. Windows 8 introduces really neat features like a picture login that lets you setup specific touch strokes on a picture as your login. We absolutely love how slim and lightweight the Acer Aspire S7 ultrabook is! When I was looking at computers a few months back to use for my work, weight and size were big factors I was considering. While I thought the models I was looking at then were slim and lightweight, the Acer Aspire S7 completely blows them out of the water. It is SOOO light which makes it extremely portable and perfect for taking along to blog conferences, school, meetings, while traveling, etc.

I have loved the flexibility to play games, multi-task, customize my start screen, and make this computer completely my own. It is just so intuitive to be able to swipe to move around your applications or to bring up menus that once I got used to the specific motions needed, I find it so fast and easy to use! I love most of the apps better than their traditional web versions as they are clean and easy to click and navigate through. The games are my favorite, though. I’ve been enjoying playing Spades and Sudoku a lot! The battery life lasts what feels like forever and is rated to last up to 12 hours of use. I’ve never had it die on from a single day’s use even with using the computer a ton! I have been absolutely thrilled with the Acer Aspire S7 ultrabook and feel it is a fabulous choice if you’re looking at purchasing a new laptop. The only thing I wish it had was a swivel screen to allow me to turn the laptop into a tablet for those occasional times I have wished I could. Microsoft does offer laptops that can do just that, though, if that is a feature you would love and use as well like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.

Purchase Windows 8 or Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook

You can find Windows 8 along with all compatible Windows 8 tablets and computers including the Acer Aspire S7-391 like I reviewed available through the Microsoft store. The Acer Aspire S7-391 ultrabook retails for $1,399.

Disclosure: I am a Windows Champions blogger and I received a loan of a laptop and may receive other awards from Microsoft to post my opinions about Microsoft products. I also previously received a copy of Windows 8 as mentioned in this post as compensation for a previous review